"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God" (Romans 3:23).
"The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God
is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
The word “sin” is used in a lot of ways, but the essential
meaning and result of sin is separation from God, since it involves
pride -- man thinking more highly of his own ways than God’s. Without
Jesus, His sacrifice and resurrection, connecting to God is not
possible because of sin. We all have sinned, the results of which are
death and an eternity separated from God. Since God is Holy, there can
be no imperfection in His presence.
But death was not God’s plan for us. Abundant and eternal life
(John 10:10) is what Jesus
came to bring.
Why? Because even though man was broken and earth given over
to evil, God never stopped loving us. Romans 5:8 says, "But God showed
His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were
still sinners."
Nothing but Jesus could have permanently fixed the problem –
it was a gap that could not be bridged. Your best work just can’t get
you to Heaven. Even if you could somehow achieve a score of 99 out of
100 in life, you’d still need a sacrificial savior to make up the
difference and pay off your debt. That’s the difference between Grace
and the Law. James 2:10 says, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet
stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all."
However, “God saved you by His special favor when you
believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of
us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). You can’t earn a gift – it's
an unmerited favor. You do, however, have to make the choice to accept
it.
So, we all, as sinners, have to turn to God for forgiveness of
sin, and trust that Jesus died to give us new life that we may be born
again (John 3:3; 1
Peter 1:23).
Faith is the key. It’s the cause and effect of our hope for
salvation. If there is truly “no other name under heaven that has been
given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12), then your
acceptance of God’s gift, your admission that you are a sinner, your
repentance (changing of your mind), and your faith in the
real-but-unseen Lord is all that can bring eternal and abundant life.
If knowing about Jesus has stirred your heart to
hear even more, receive forgiveness for your sins, renew your Christian
walk, or get involved in ministry, you may pray the following prayer,
and/or follow the links below to any of our excellent ministry
partners:
"Lord God, thank you for loving me enough to
send your one and only Son to die for me. I know I am a sinner, and
that Jesus was crucified and raised to life to pay a debt I was unable
to pay, in order that I may live with You forever. I want to turn from
my way of life and follow Jesus. I invite Jesus into my heart as the
Lord of my life. Thank you, Father, for giving me new life in the name
of Jesus. Amen!"
What’s the next step? Connect
with other Christians, learn more, find a church… these ministries can
help you with those concerns!
- Harvest Ministries: How to Know God
- Harvest Christian Fellowship: How to Know God
- Answers with Bayless Conley: What To Do Next
- Christian Research Institute: The Essentials of Salvation
- Grace to You: How Can I Be Sure of My Salvation?
- PowerPoint: Your New Life in Christ
- Use FindAChurch.com
